What I Watched Last Night

1. In the Heat of the Night: In bits and pieces, as I've seen it a million times but remains an all-time favorite. In this Southern race drama revolving around a mysterious murder, Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier give perfect performances of complex characters who don't seem as if they could be more different yet function as mirrors to each other as they are forced to face up to and question their deepest beliefs and attitudes.

2. American Idol: Look, I was working while it was on. This is the first season I've really watched the show, although last season I watched the opener, and we all know the show is at its best when the contestants are the worst. Now the contestants are maddening because they actually take themselves seriously--and America seems to as well.

3. Don Knotts Remembered/Larry King Live: Andy Griffith explained why Knotts left The Andy Griffith Show show after its fifth season. Griffith had previously told Knotts he would only do the show for five years. So when the fifth season rolled around, Knotts started looking for work and ended up signing a movie deal with Universal. Then Griffith decided to stay on. Knotts was screwed. And so was the The Andy Griffith Show. While the program continued for three more years, and finished number one in its last season, the loss of Knotts broke Griffith's heart. "When Don left, the show lost its heart," Griffith said.

Fun facts:
- Don Knotts's daughter, Karen, doesn't look a thing like him.
- Jim Nabors lives in Hawaii, largely retired except for a couple singing gigs a year.

- Steve Rhodes